Oceanographer (Honorary)

Dr John Hunter

Dr Hunter’s current interests are the sea-level rise induced by climate change, and the response of Antarctic ice shelf cavities to global warming.

His interest in sea-level rise was initially stimulated in the mid-1990s by his work on the historic (1841) sea-level mark at the Isle of the Dead, Port Arthur, one of the first such marks struck anywhere in the world for the scientific investigation of sea level.

Recent work has involved investigations of sea-level rise in Australia, the U.S., and in the Indian Ocean and Pacific regions, and the way in which this rise increases the frequency and likelihood of flooding events.

Dr Hunter was the original developer of the “Canute” sea-level rise decision-support tool.

In recent years he developed a method of deriving sea-level planning allowances based on projections of sea-level rise and present storm-tides; the techniques has been used in Tasmania, Victoria and more widely around Australia, New Zealand and Canada.